'Didn't your mother tell you that I was expecting a visitor, Justin?' she asked, turning to the eldest boy, who was now employing the time of waiting for his question to be answered by tilting another unfortunate chair as far back as he could get it to go without tumbling over.
'Expecting a visitor,' he repeated. 'Oh yes, she said something about – about – a girl, but I thought she meant somebody like you used to be, auntie, before you were married – a grown-up girl. And I forgot about it with her being away. Papa and mamma went away yesterday, you know, and – ' Over went the chair, its patience at an end, with a good clatter. The chairs in the playroom were pretty stout, as they needed to be.
'O Justin,' said Aunt Mattie, 'do be quiet for a minute and leave the chairs alone. How is it that you and Pat and Archie aren't at school this afternoon?'
'Half-holiday,' said Justin.
'Of course – I forgot,' Aunt Mattie replied, thinking to herself that if she had remembered what day it was, she would have chosen some quieter time for introducing her little guest to the Herveys. She had expected only to find the two younger ones with their nursery governess. 'Where is Miss Ward?' she went on.
'Got a headache,' said Hector. 'Leave off, Ger,' he went on. 'It's my turn,' for the two had been stroking the chinchilla muff with great satisfaction while Aunt Mattie had been speaking to the elder boys.
Ger gave a yell. Hec had nipped his fingers to make him give up his share of the muff. Miss Mouse's face grew red, and she very quietly took her hands out of the muff, and put it behind her, between her shoulders at the back of her chair, though without speaking. Aunt Mattie saw what she did and smiled to herself. Hector and Gervais only stared.
'If you will be quiet, Justin – you and Pat and Archie, I will explain about Rosamond,' and she put her arm round the little girl affectionately.
'Her's Mith Mouse, not Lotha – wubbish,' said Ger.
'Hold your – ' began Justin.
Ger shut his mouth up tight.
'Miss Mouse then,' said Aunt Mattie, 'is my niece, just as you are my nephews, only she's not your cousin.'
'Why not?' said Pat, suddenly waking up. This sounded rather like a riddle, or a puzzle of some kind, and Pat loved puzzles.
'Because she is Uncle Ted's niece – she is my niece now because I am married to Uncle Ted, but that doesn't make her your cousin.'
'Then she isn't your niece the same as we're your nephews,' said Pat, preparing for a good argument.
'Well, no, not exactly. But still she is my niece, just as much as Uncle Ted is your uncle, and you wouldn't like any one to say he is not your proper uncle, would you, for I know you are very fond of him?'
There was no reply to this for a moment or two. The boys were very fond of Uncle Ted, but yet the relationship was a little perplexing. They had never thought of it before, and even Pat felt that it might seem rude if he did not agree that Uncle Ted was as much an uncle as Aunt Mattie was an aunt.
It was Miss Mouse who came to the rescue.
'I know what,' she said, and her voice was very clear indeed, 'I know what, boys – we'll settle that I am to be your cousin, and that'll make it all right. Uncle Ted and Aunt Mattie will be our uncle and aunt to all of us just the same, once we're cousins.'
'All right,' said Justin and Archie, who were longing to begin another scrimmage of some kind. 'All right,' said Pat, not quite so heartily, for he was disappointed of his argument with Aunt Mattie. 'All zight,' said Hec and Ger – Ger adding, 'but thoo'll be Mith Mouse always. Are thoo goin' to live here in thit houth?'
All the boys stopped short at this. It had never struck them till this moment that such a thing was possible. They had only thought of the little girl as just coming in to see them for a short time, as other children did now and then, and Rosamond herself looked up at her aunt in surprise at their not understanding. For she herself was an only child accustomed to hear a good deal more of the family plans than were the Hervey boys.
'Oh no,' she began to say, 'oh no, Ger, dear. I'm not going to live in your house. I've come to stay with Uncle Ted and Aunt Mattie for a – for a long time,' and there was a slight tremble in her voice at the last words.
Aunt Mattie felt a little vexed at having to speak of what she knew must be sad for her young guest.
'I thought your mother had told you something,' she said, turning to Justin. 'Most likely she did, and that it was you who did not listen. You are so very scatter-brained. Rosamond's father and mother have gone to India, a few weeks ago, and she is going to stay with Uncle Ted and me till they come back again.'
The little girl's face had grown red while Aunt Mattie was speaking, and at the last few words she squeezed tightly the kind hand she had managed to get hold of.
'Oh,' said the boys, two or three of them at once, in a tone of some awe, and looking at Miss Mouse with increased respect. For India, and goings-to and comings-from there, were not nearly such every-day matters forty or fifty years ago as they are now.
'Will they come back thoon?' asked Ger, looking up in Rosamond's face with his innocent baby-blue eyes. 'I don't want them to, 'cos – ' and here he suddenly stopped. 'Her's c'ying,' he announced to his brothers in a half whisper.
'No, I'm not,' said Miss Mouse in her clear voice. 'At least I'm not going to cry. I've promised I wouldn't.'
'Dear,' said Aunt Mattie, 'you can't help it a little, sometimes. No,' she went on, 'her papa and mamma can't come home for a good while. India is a long way off, you know. Why don't you want them to come back, Ger? It isn't very kind to say that.'
'Yeth, it is', said Ger, 'it's 'cos I want her to stay here. I like Mith Mouse.'
This made Rosamond smile through the tears which had nearly dried up already.
'I am glad of that,' said Aunt Mattie. 'For I want you all to be very kind to Rosamond, and make up to her for her papa and mamma being away.'
'Does she mind so much?' said Hec, poking his curly head very close under the grey bonnet. 'I don't think I would – not so very much.'
''Cos you've got no feelings,' said Archie, pulling him back, 'and you're as rude as rude too. I say, Miss Mouse,' he went on, 'would you like to come out and see some of the animals?'
'What?' said Rosamond; 'do you mean Noah's Ark animals?'
Justin and Pat, though Pat was again in his corner with a book, both began to laugh, and Archie's indignation was now turned on them.
'You're ruder than Hec,' he said, ''cos he's little and you're big.'
'None of your impertinence,' began Justin, seconded by a growl from Pat. 'I'll teach you to meddle with – '
Aunt Mattie rose to her full height, and she was tall. Somehow her nephews struck her to-day in a new light. She had known they were wild and unruly, but the waves of expression that followed each other over Rosamond's face almost startled her – the child had never seen this rough side of boy-life, if indeed boy-life at all. Aunt Mattie felt as if she had made a mistake in bringing her into it, and almost ashamed of Justin and his brothers.
'Boys,' she said, speaking to the two elder ones, 'you may not like Archie's interfering, but what he says is perfectly true; you are both very rude, though perhaps you don't mean it. But you know very well how angry you'd be if any one laughed at you. I tell you plainly that unless you can be gentle and more polite I will take Rosamond away, and find other playfellows for her while she is living with your uncle and me.'
Pat said nothing, but Justin got red.
'Oh come now, auntie,' he said. 'You know very well we didn't mean it, and I don't believe Miss Mouse minds. Do you?' he went on, turning to Rosamond.
The little girl hesitated.
'I – I don't know,' she began, 'but,' as a bright idea struck her, 'I'd like to see your animals and then I'd understand.'
Justin turned to his aunt in triumph.
'There